Island Theatre presents “The Thanksgiving Play,” a ‘comedy within a satire’ about well-meaning white people attempting to create a politically correct elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving without involving Native Americans. What could go wrong?

“The Thanksgiving Play” is directed by Fred Saas and features Kylie Cordero, Todd Erler, Kate Henderson, Jackie O’Brien, and Steve Stolee.

Performances take place at the Bainbridge Public Library on Saturday, October 25 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, October 26 at 3:00 pm. No reservations are necessary. The play is recommended for high school age and up. Donations are deeply appreciated as they enable us to stage these productions.

In “The Thanksgiving Play” by MacArthur Genius Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota), four earnest white progressives have assigned themselves an impossible task: creating a play for children that accurately and respectfully celebrates Native American Heritage Month and "breaks down the myths and stereotypes of Thanksgiving" – all in 45 minutes. The yoga-practicing, privilege-checking, farmers-market-shopping characters know that performing Native characters in redface is wrong, that the Thanksgiving narrative is “problematic,” and that the history of the United States is one of oppression and subjugation, but they're blind to the arrogance of their enterprise.

As it skewers white, well-meaning liberals for being so focused on not giving offense that they can't do anything meaningful at all, “The Thanksgiving Play” becomes bitingly funny and closer to the truth than we like to admit.

FastHorse wrote the play in response to the notion that her works couldn't be produced because of a perceived difficulty in finding Native American actors. To circumvent this limitation, she created a play that tackles Native American issues without relying on Native American actors. She offers this to her white audiences: “(this play) was created with you in mind. I hope you have a great night at the theatre but also, perhaps, learn something. I want you to leave with more questions than you knew you had to ask.”

“The Thanksgiving Play” premiered on Broadway in 2023.

“The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs.” – The New York Times

“Very, very funny. Larissa FastHorse’s “The Thanksgiving Play” skewers liberal pretensions with glee.” – Hollywood Reporter

“A razor-sharp spoof of progressive pretense that shows how people can convince themselves that they are doing good by doing nothing at all…” – The Oregonian